General – Greater Philadelphia Executive Claims Council (GPECC)http://gpecc.net
An employer-based voice for the claims industryMon, 14 Aug 2017 17:44:20 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.6Ebola- What You Need to Know & Other Pandemic Resourceshttp://gpecc.net/ebola-what-you-need-to-know-other-pandemic-resources/
http://gpecc.net/ebola-what-you-need-to-know-other-pandemic-resources/#respondThu, 16 Oct 2014 16:46:21 +0000http://gpecc.net/?p=625These resources are provided by the Commercial and Government Facilities Section, Sector Outreach and Programs Division of the Department of Homeland Security.

As you are all well aware, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention is the lead agency on the current outbreak of Ebola, and has recently confirmed the first case diagnosed in the US. By the nature of your highly visited venues, pandemic outbreaks have always been a concern of safety and security within your respective industries. As the CDC continues to develop policies and protocols, I wanted to pass on a few resources at your disposal:

What You Need to Know-Ebola: This 2 page document explains Ebola and what preventative measures can be taken to protect yourself and personnel.

]]>http://gpecc.net/ebola-what-you-need-to-know-other-pandemic-resources/feed/0FBI Active Shooter Incident Study Releasedhttp://gpecc.net/fbi-active-shooter-incident-study-released/
http://gpecc.net/fbi-active-shooter-incident-study-released/#respondFri, 03 Oct 2014 19:55:12 +0000http://gpecc.net/?p=607The FBI has released a study of Active Shooter incidents in the United States between 2000 and 2013.

Introduction
In 2013, the president signed into law the Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012, which granted the attorney general the authority to assist in the investigation of “violent acts and shootings occurring in a place of public use” and in the investigation of “mass killings and attempted mass killings at the request of an appropriate law enforcement official of a state or political subdivision.”

To provide further clarity on these threats, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2014 initiated a study of “active shooter” incidents. The goal of the FBI study is to provide federal, state, and local law enforcement with data so they can better understand how to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from these incidents.

Active shooter is a term used by law enforcement to describe a situation in which a shooting is in progress and an aspect of the crime may affect the protocols used in responding to and reacting at the scene of the incident. Unlike a defined crime, such as a murder or mass killing, the active aspect inherently implies that both law enforcement personnel and citizens have the potential to affect the outcome of the event based upon their responses.

]]>http://gpecc.net/fbi-active-shooter-incident-study-released/feed/0Reducing Health Care Costs by Reducing the Need and Demand for Medical Serviceshttp://gpecc.net/reducing-health-care-costs-by-reducing-the-need-and-demand-for-medical-services/
http://gpecc.net/reducing-health-care-costs-by-reducing-the-need-and-demand-for-medical-services/#respondMon, 08 Sep 2014 20:25:35 +0000http://gpecc.net/?p=556Health care costs in the United States exceed 14 percent of the gross domestic product, far more than in any other nation. Overall costs were $838 billion in 1992, or over $3,000 per person. Well over 30 million Americans are uninsured, partly because of rising premium costs. We propose an approach to part of this problem that has been neglected, one that focuses on systematically reducing the need and thus the demand for medical services. This approach requires expanding the definitions of “health promotion” and “preventive care,” paying selective attention to strategies that have been found to result in net cost savings.

Philadelphia, PA (July 10, 2014) — The Greater Philadelphia Executive Claims Council (GPECC) is pleased to announce that O’Hagan LLC has graciously agreed to represent the interests of GPECC pro bono in filing an amicus curiae brief on an important issue that greatly impacts our members. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will address whether Section 319 of the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act (PWCA) permits a direct action by a Pennsylvania employer/insurer for subrogation against a 3rd party tortfeasor in a Workers’ Compensation matter. In Liberty Mutual v. Domtar, the Court of Common Pleas and the Superior Court both held that the PWCA does not provide employers with the right to bring a direct suit against such a tortfeasor in subrogation.

Claimant was injured while working for Schneider National on a property owned by a third party. Claimant did not bring a direct action, and as a result, Liberty Mutual, Schneider National’s Workers Compensation carrier, brought an action as subrogee. The Court of Common Pleas sustained preliminary objections dismissing the complaint, holding that Pennsylvania does not recognize an independent cause of action by a Workers’ Compensation Claimant’s employer/insurer where the injured party has not sued in his own right and is not a party to the suit.

On appeal, Liberty Mutual asserted that, as the employer, it possessed the absolute right to subrogation under the Workers Compensation Act, and consequently, may sue a tortfeasor directly without the Claimant bringing his own suit. Liberty Mutual cited to the specific language of Section 319 of the PWCA and relied on Scalise v. F.M. Venzie & Co., 152 A. 90 (Pa. 1930) in its appeal.

The Superior Court rejected Liberty Mutual’s argument, and held that the language did not expressly permit an employer to independently sue tortfeasors. The Court cited to Reliance Insurance Company v. Richmond Machine Company, 455 A.2d 686 (Pa. Super. 1983).

Specifically, in Reliance, the Court held that Section 319 of the Act is an exclusive remedy, and that for an employer or its insurer to enforce its subrogation rights, it must proceed in an action brought on behalf of the injured employee, in order to determine the liability of the 3rd party to that employee.

On May 29, 2014, the Supreme Court granted Allocatur to review the Petitioner’s Appeal from the Superior Court. O’Hagan LLC, is preparing an Amicus Curiae brief to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on our behalf. Forty Seven jurisdictions permit direct recovery where third party negligence or defective products cause injury. Such incidents may lead to significant medical and lost time costs which are borne by the Employer and/or Insurer. Not allowing a direct action in cases where there is clear liability on the part of a third party tortfeasor shifts the costs of the tortfeasor’s liability to the Employer or Insurer without a remedy. The amicus brief is being filed to address the inequities and antiquity of the present case law. We are asking the Court, on behalf of our members, to follow forty seven other states in allowing a direct action and allow our members to collect against liable tortfeasors.

Anyone working in communication understands that effective crisis management is now more demanding than ever before. A swift and appropriate crisis communication response is essential if an organisation’s good name is to be preserved, and achieving this is largely down to the quality of planning undertaken before the crisis. That’s always been the case, but new dynamics mean that essential elements of crisis planning have altered.

What are the factors driving this change? It’s no surprise that social media tops the list. When an Asiana aircraft crashed at San Francisco Airport on 6 July 2013, it took thirty seconds for the first photo of the incident to appear on Twitter. Thirty seconds: two minutes before the emergency slides were deployed. So, social media dictates greater speed, imposes almost total transparency and spreads bad news further than ever before.